Some other GR textbooks

Hi all

Following the discussion in the exercise session today, two other introductory textbooks for GR that you may find helpful to use in conjunction with Carroll are A First Course in General Relativity (2nd ed.) by Bernard Schutz as well as Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell by Anthony Zee. 

Schutz is, in my view, the best at easing the reader into the transition between SR and GR - not just in terms of the technical details, but conceptually as well. However, it is occasionally too introductory (the book grew out of undergrad notes, so the level is pitched accordingly). It's also nice in that it roughly covers the same content as Carroll, and in the same order. 

Zee is easily the best textbook writer I've read; but, the pleasantness of his style aside, his GR book is unorthodox in what material it covers and how it does so. Some rather important sections in Carroll are otherwise absent from Zee or left until much later in the book. Be a bit careful with it if this is your first GR course. But if you can find a way for parts of it to be helpful, it's a gem of a book.

It goes without saying that neither should replace Carroll -- the course follows Carroll! -- but hopefully these may help in understanding the material. GR is a hard subject, and different people learn in different ways, so if you find the explanation in one resource isn't working for you, always look for alternatives! 

Have a good week. 

Jake